Truth As A Concept, Truth As The Truth

We have all gotten used to various concepts of truth. Whether we call it “Oneness”, “Unconditional Love”, “Spirituality, “Shift in Consciousness”, “Inner-Peace”, “God”, or “Enlightenment”, we sometimes forget that these concepts are not the truth itself, but are instead a mere POINTER to it. In the same way that the word ‘nature’ is not and never will be nature itself, it is instead a pointer to it, unable to encapsulate the life at its core.

This may sound obvious, but the mind can be an expert at using the intellect to cloud the obvious. For example, we may intellectually “know” that the present moment is all there is, we may like to preach it, but is it more so a belief or philosophy we like to repeat in our heads, or is it something we are able to feel and KNOW from within – beyond the concept and thought about it? We may intellectually “know” that we are all one, but how many times are we justifying our reasons to judge and label others to the point where we mistake such labels for who they are? We may “know” that a flower is not the word “flower”… but have we ever allowed ourselves to look past its label, and feel its true essence?

“If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.” – Siddhartha Buddha

It is important to understand that our work isn’t done if we simply repeat concepts without allowing ourselves to feel and embody the truth they point towards. At that point, they just become words like any other and can even become a distraction preventing us from discovering ourselves further. It doesn’t mean we must abstain ourselves from sharing if we’re “not quite there yet”. If that would be the case, I wouldn’t be sharing as much as I do ;). But when we remain open and self-observant in our process of self-discovery – without identifying ourselves solely with concepts and definitions – we leave space for our essence PRIOR to words to shine through. And that itself is what brings us closer to who we truly are.

“Your true meaning cannot be grasped or captured by words. You can never be equated with any words, because you are prior to words.” – Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

The bottom line is; to truly uncover our natural state is not to talk about it, think about it, believe in it, repeat words from a book or guru, or get caught up in our attempts to describe truth. Is tasting an apple the same as talking about apples, thinking about apples or believing in apples? 😉

“If you can think about it, it’s not the truth.” – Robert Adams

So how can we determine how much of our “Truth” is conceptual, and how much of it comes from within? First off, let’s observe ourselves in our day-to-day lives. Imagine yourself in nature in the midst of trees, or even in the city in the midst of people. Do you tend to constantly think your way through the experience, labeling what you see, judging your surroundings as good or bad, or always rushing to the next moment? Would you feel bored quickly and always look for the next attraction? Even if your intention would be to experience the moment and your connection with nature, would you think “Look at that, I am experiencing the moment!” or “I am doing what this book or that guru told me, I am on the right track!” ?

“What is THIS moment like when I experience it without a story? Without checking with mind about what anything means or doesn’t mean? Without going into past or future? Without trying to understand or get anything? What is the storyless NOW like? Only one way to find out…” – Michael Jeffreys

The mind is often conditioned to conceptualize everything that we see or do rather than fully experiencing things as they are. There is nothing wrong with that, but if we are ready to go deeper, we can’t use another thought or concept to get us there. We must go beyond thought and concept. This will sound impossible to the thinking mind, since it cannot compute an existence beyond itself. But what lies beyond itself is quite simple: It is the awareness observing all thoughts and concepts. It is the natural sense of ‘I AM’ before the definitions we give it… it is YOU. (Ah the paradox of trying to explain it with words)

“You are not ‘this’ nor any image or thought. You are the ‘I AM’ presence before you give it a name. You are the Silent and formless Awareness.” – Mooji

Does this mean we must eliminate the mind or eliminate thought? Of course not, but when we are overruled by thought patterns, belief systems, and experience life solely through mental noise, we do not leave space for our actual consciousness and clear observations to guide us. This is when we are most susceptible to be manipulated by external sources; we become like sponges absorbing all information we get without actually observing the content and checking in with our intuition. In our natural state, we let the mind be the vehicle, and our consciousness – who we are – be the driver.

What about doubt? What if we all of a sudden begin doubting our Truth? This can’t be good?! Well Good news: You can never doubt the Truth, you can only doubt your story/version of it – which is what you want to let go of anyways ;). As long as we think we are limited to either doubt or conviction, belief or disbelief, we are still paying too much attention to the surface of things, the world of mental concept. This applies to everything. Emotional baggage, belief systems, thought patterns, identities, definitions… all of these are what we are in the process of moving beyond in order to uncover our true selves. Our conceptualization of truth goes right in the list of what we must let go of… But will we lose ourselves? We don’t want to let go of our convictions, our reference points… right? I’ll let a good guy answer this one: “‘You’ can never lose yourself. What can be lost is your way of thinking about yourself, your identity with limitation.” – Mooji

If I would choose what words i’d use to attempt to point to the truth as I feel it… It would be: The Truth is what is looking through your eyes… minus all mental interpretations. It just is, it is unmoved by what minds may think about it. If you are truly ready to dig deep within yourself, this should be the beginning of an internal garage sale of all identities, beliefs and attachments that hid themselves in the corners of your mind. This should begin to make some room for who you truly are to shine through. 🙂

To end this thought – or should I say “pointer” ;), here is a simple take on meditation that can help dissolve the accumulation of mental concepts that are not original to our being: VIDEO – A SIMPLE MEDITATION

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Collective Evolution (CE) believes in creating change by thinking outside the box. We aim to challenge the current status quo by shaking up how we currently think about the world. We encourage and inspire each other to take action with the goal of bringing to life a bright future for us all. Learn more...